Petals of Pain
by Bronzedamazon
Summary: Kasumi is dying and in her last moments she dives into her grey box to spend one more moment with Keiji.


_**A/N: I hate emotional stuff because unlike most normal people I can't cry at a fiction. I thought I'd give it a shot with this story for the competition that TheRev 28 is holding in Afterlife. If I didn't post the thing now, I wouldn't at all. Hope you like my emotional... thing.** _

There stood Kasumi with pain radiating from her very core. Petals from the cherry blossom trees that overshadowed this alcove danced around in circles of whimsy as a cool breeze sent shivers down her spine. She took a moment to decipher just where she was and the vision that was before her. The last thing she could recall was Shepard uttering something to her softly as she fell with her back against a large metal door.

_Not like this…_

The memories of the collector base panged her as the ache in her middle suddenly sent tendrils of pain throughout every cell that made her the woman she was. That's when she decided that this scene being played out in front of her wasn't real; she was delving into her grey box to ensure that the one thing she had always sworn would happen came to fruition. In her dying moment she wanted him to be the last thing that she would ever lay her eyes on.

_Keiji…_

During their time together they had made this place an escape from the reality that consumed their lives. There was no eluding authority or being called master thieves in this haven among the cherry trees. In this place they were lovers that that were bound to one another in a way that no one else would ever understand. This was their place where they could let down all barriers and walls to truly just be with one another.

_Together… we always said together…_

Kasumi was aware that time was short she began to walk the sandy path that was laid out in front of her. She let the familiarity of the area serve as her guide as her feet seemed to know which direction she needed to go. She grasped at her stomach where agony continued to dispense over her body wave after wave as the intoxicating fragrance from the blossoms filled her senses. Kasumi pushed past the fingers of death that were spreading over her as she started to move faster.

_Just let me see him, just one more time…_

A thousand needles resonated through her feet with each step she took as she made her way down the path that was adorned with the trees in full bloom. The flowers fell in front of her with the vigor of a snow storm that would have hit in the middle of a harsh winter. The petals caught in her soft raven hair as she walked to find the man she loved. She just had to make it to the small bench before…

_Please, just another moment. Please… _

The moment that her eyes came upon the spot she had been searching for, agony coursed throughout her. Kasumi was on her knees as she saw him standing with rays of sunlight traipsing across his skin. Magnificent as ever he stood as an Adonis, like a sweet savior that would rescue her from the torment that was overtaking her as each second came to pass. Her eyes connected with as for a brief moment before she stared to cough violently. The taste of copper now danced on her tongue as death clawed at her very existence.

_Keiji, my Keiji…_

Tears wet her eyes as Kasumi clambered back to her feet. There was nothing that was going to keep her from his arms, not even death as he screamed for her soul with everything he had. Agony biting at her she pushed on to get closer to him to be with him the moment she couldn't fight him anymore. Again she stumbled to her knees. Cold now consumed her hands and feet, numbing them to the point where standing wasn't an option for her.

_Not when I'm so close… _

Kasumi raised her head with determination. That's when her eyes met his, the two brown spheres gazing down at her like an angel of mercy. Keiji wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up from the path that was covered in the white petals. Fallen flowers dropped from her as he held her to his chest and made his way back to the bench. There laid the broken woman in his lap.

_His heart still beats for me… he said it would always beat for me._

Lifting her numb fingers to his face, she traced along the edge of his jawline. A small smile crept across her face as she felt the stubble was still there because he hadn't shaved. Every mark that had made him the man she knew was there just as she had always remembered. No longer able to hold her trembling hand to his face she rested it against is shoulder.

_My heart beats for him… just like I always said it would._

With her head pressed against his chest she listened to the ragged beat of his heart. It matched her own, each beat creating a melody as the two of them came together again. The pain that had tormented her was all but gone; leaving only the cold that continued to pour over her like a slow moving river covered in ice. Death waited for no one, not even her.

_Our hearts beat together as one as we leave all of this behind…_

She listened as her breath rasped in her own chest. It wheezed and took everything that she had to just complete the simple motion. Never in her entire life had Kasumi felt so exhausted and so at peace at the same time. With each exertion she felt her eyelids become heavier. Finally they closed with a small flutter, shutting out the falling flowers around her.

"Keiji…" She breathed lightly, "I…"

"Shh… Rest now, Kasumi. No longer will you be without me, or I without you. Together, just as we always wanted, just as we will forever be."

With Kasumi's eyes closed and her last breath wisped from her. Tingles filled her senses as the numbness reached her throat.

_I just… wanted to see him… one… more… time… _


End file.
